Toxic Envy
by Komillia
Summary: When a murder is committed Narcissa becomes the prime suspect. And the victim just happens to be Lucius' mistress.
1. Morning turned bad

**Toxic Envy   
Chapter 1: Morning turned bad   
by Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)**

A/N: I actually wrote this a long time ago but didn't get past chapter 2. I thought I'd post it here and see if a little feedback could help me start writing again. :) 

* * *

Tea parties. 

Another excuse to gather wives of men in important positions to gossip, talk about fashion, gossip, eat no more than two biscuits (they had figures to watch), gossip, compliment the hostess' lovely home, socialize and, of course, gossip. Tea parties were all in the life of a lady of the high society. Ladies' like Narcissa Malfoy. 

Raising the teacup to her lips, she sipped at the warm liquid to hide the bored look on her face. She was standing outside the chattering crowd for once but unlike others she did it out of her own free will. Normally she didn't have anything against tea parties but this one happened to be the most boring one in a long time. The hostess, Mrs LaSalle, couldn't help it but she had set the date at the completely wrong time, as this was the fourth tea party Narcissa had attended this month. Therefore, there was no new gossip and one could only talk about Tribbiani's new fall collection a certain amount of times. 

"Hello Narcissa, it's so nice to see you again." 

Narcissa turned left and saw a rose-cheeked woman in her early forties standing next to her with a broad smile on her lips. Narcissa quickly put on a delighted expression on her face and put down the teacup on the saucer she was holding with her other hand. She had done the expression so many times on command that nowadays she didn't even have to think before doing it. 

"Ophelia, it's been so long," Narcissa answered in a sickly sweet voice and exchanged airy kisses on the cheek with Ophelia. "What took you so long to come?" 

"Oh, my sister had to run some errands first and it took a little longer than we had expected," Ophelia explained, still smiling so wide that Narcissa wondered if her jaw would hurt from it. "Speaking of her, there she is." 

It was good that Ophelia looked away that moment, because otherwise she might have seen Narcissa's friendly face go from friendly to horrified and irritated. Although she reverted back to the friendly face, she didn't do it on the inside. Narcissa felt her stomach turn over at the sight of Olivia Crawford, Ophelia's "thirty something", unmarried sister. 

_Don't come here,_ Narcissa prayed when Ophelia waved at her sister. _God, please don't let her come here._

Apparently she had been an atheist too long for prayers to work. Olivia acknowledged Ophelia's wave and started to head towards them. Narcissa forced herself to look happy at the sight of Olivia. In reality, the only time she would be happy to see Olivia was if Olivia's picture happened to be in the obituary section in the Daily Prophet. 

"Olivia, you have met Narcissa before, haven't you?" Ophelia said to her sister. 

The look Olivia gave Narcissa reminded her exactly why she hated the woman so much. She was overcritical, never had anything good to say, not to mention that she threw herself at anything that was male and moved. 

"Yes, we have met before," Olivia responded with a smile that read "fake" in shining, flashing letters. Narcissa could recognize one of those smiles from a mile's distance. *She* had invented those fake smiles, for crying out loud. 

"It was at Mrs Fudge's party a couple of months ago, wasn't it? And then at the Winslets?" 

_Yes, I should have learned not to let history repeat it self,_ Narcissa wanted to say badly. 

"Yes, absolutely right," she said instead and flashed another fake smile as she shook hands with Olivia. "I heard you two went to Italy this summer?" 

"Well, my husband and my nanny could take care of the children on their own..." Ophelia began. 

_Idiot,_ Narcissa thought and sipped her tea again, pretending to look interested. 

"...so me and Olivia went to Venice to two weeks," Ophelia went on. "Oh, Livvie broke so many hearts down there!" 

"Oh stop it, Ophelia!" Olivia said, but started to laugh. 

When Ophelia started to laugh as well Narcissa made some halfhearted attempt at chuckling but for the life of her, she couldn't see what was so funny about it. However, the thought of shoving the teacup in Olivia's thin neck was somewhat amusing. 

"Oh, I must go and say hello to Mrs Keating," Ophelia said, breaking off the annoying laughter. "Excuse me girls, I'll be right back." 

She walked past Narcissa and Olivia and disappeared into the crowd of women, leaving Narcissa to think that she had been left along with the wrong sister. Although the chance she had to physically injure Olivia was somewhat bigger now that Ophelia was gone. 

"So... Mrs Malfoy," Olivia began, turning to Narcissa. "What have you been up to lately?" 

_Looking for a potential lover, sent my son to a school that's run by a man who hasn't shaved in decades, plotting your demise and laugh at anyone who says that you're a natural blonde. Peachy keen._

"Oh not much," Narcissa replied, sipping at her tea again. It was lukewarm. "I've been looking around in Hogsmeade for some new garden furniture, I'm starting to tire of those we have." 

"Oh yes... of course you'd be spending time in Hogsmeade." 

Narcissa almost frowned, but it was a habit she was trying to quit as frowning could cause wrinkles. She eyes Olivia suspiciously because the way Olivia had spoken clearly revealed that she wasn't thinking about garden furniture. 

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked. 

"Well, everyone knows," Olivia told in a rather stuck up tone that Narcissa definitely didn't like. She didn't like the look in Olivia's eyes, one that seemed triumphant at the fact that she knew something Narcissa didn't. "Your husband has visited Hogsmeade quite often lately. Especially a woman who lives in the outskirts." 

Narcissa was at a loss of words. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she looked nothing but shocked. Olivia almost looked proud when she saw it, thinking that she had finally been able to say something that had gone through Narcissa Malfoy's defence mechanism and struck her. But the feeling of pride didn't last for long. Only a few seconds after receiving the news Narcissa's face was back to normal. She even put on a real, amused smile. 

"You know..." Narcissa started, loud enough for a couple of people around them to hear. "I think you should get your own husband instead of keeping tabs on mine. God knows it would be about time. Then again... why get your own husband when you can simply borrow someone else's like you always do?" 

This time it was Olivia's turn to be shocked and at a loss of words. She gaped, then closed her mouth and clearly showed a face of anger. That only made Narcissa's smile widen. She placed her teacup at a tray that a servant was holding. Then she turned to Olivia again, who still hadn't changed expression or come up with anything to say. Narcissa wanted to laugh out loud at her. 

_Yes, that will teach you not to mess with me,_ she thought, pleased with herself. 

She left Olivia to gape and stare and walked over to Mrs LaSalle, the hostess of the party. Mrs LaSalle seemed to almost be at loss of words herself, no doubt because she had heard the last couple of sentences that Narcissa had said. 

"I am so sorry, Pauline," Narcissa apologized sweetly. "But I have to head home and prepare for something. Please excuse me, it's been a wonderful party." 

_Wonderful, indeed._

"Oh yes, of course," Mrs LaSalle answered smiling. But then she leaned a little closer to Narcissa and spoke in a hushed voice. "Is it really true... what you said about Olivia Crawford?" 

It took all of Narcissa's willpower to not smile. 

"Ask your husband." 

* * *

Stepping out of the fireplace, Lucius Malfoy made a face as he saw his clothes covered with ashes. He brushed it off his sleeves although he doubted that it would come off so easily. One of the servants would have to wash it for him later. He looked forwards and felt relief as he saw his favourite room in the Malfoy manor, his private study. Decorated in dark colours and wood, it was within these walls that he didn't have to beware of watchful eyes or enemies. 

Which is why it made no sense at all why his wife was there. 

Narcissa was sitting in an armchair to his right, with one leg over the other and a glass filled with a mysterious liquid that he strongly suspected was alcohol, balanced between three fingers. She was wearing a dark robe that almost blended with the colour of the chair. It covered her entire body except for her hands and head, but it was so tight that it clung to her like a second skin. Narcissa sipped at her drink but didn't take her eyes off Lucius. 

"Been out?" 

"Yeah," Lucius murmured in response. He stepped a little further from the fireplace, or more importantly, from her. He glanced at Narcissa and the smile on her face revealed the fact that she was pleased that she had managed to catch Lucius off guard. 

"Were you at Nott's?" she asked and cast a look at his dirty clothes. "My, his servants have really neglected cleaning out the fireplace since last time you flooed from there. Of perhaps you took a turn to Hogsmeade before coming home?" 

"Hogsmeade?" Lucius repeated, looking curiously at Narcissa. 

What was the crazy woman thinking about now? He waited for her to say something but her silence made him assume that she was giving him a chance to figure out what this was all about. Despite the obvious hint, it took him a few seconds before he figured it out. Rolling his eyes, Lucius turned his back to her and walked over to his desk. 

"It's 1 a.m., Narcissa," he said, putting his cane on the desk and pulling the dark gloves off his hand. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" 

"Yes, but I've find being up a little better," Narcissa replied with a smile. "Like you, I've discovered that our bed has been cold and rather unsatisfactory lately." 

"Please," Lucius said mockingly and turned to her. "Like you haven't had dozens of affairs with Fabrizio from Italy and other foolish young men." 

"It was Franco," Narcissa corrected and put away her glass on a table. She rose from the armchair and walked over to Lucius, moving with the grace of a majestic cat in the tight robe she wore. "And I'm not the one who's flaunting my conquests. I don't need to hear about the Hogsmeade slut from gossiping cows over tea and biscuits." 

"Then perhaps your friends should find something else to talk about," Lucius snapped in a low voice. "I ended it with her months ago." 

Other wives might have been relieved to hear that. Others may have cried or slapped their husbands silly for being unfaithful in the first place. But not Narcissa. She just shrugged and walked back to the table to pick up her wand. 

"Whatever... A little more discretion from your side wouldn't hurt. Accio coat!" 

Only moments later, something black came flying through the doorway and obediently fell over Narcissa's shoulder. She adjusted the coat slightly because she started to button it. 

"Where are you going?" Lucius questioned. "It's late." 

"Out," Narcissa replied shortly and then disapparated from the room. 

Lucius stood quietly at the same place and stared at the spot where Narcissa had just stood. What was she thinking, going out in the middle of the night? Shaking his head, he left his office and headed upstairs. 

* * *

The next morning, he came downstairs in a good mood. He had woken up due to the sound of an owl pecking on the window. The owl had brought an anonymous message to him saying that one of Arthur Weasley's muggle protection laws had been stopped again. Had he received another owl saying that Sirius Black had managed to kill Harry Potter he might have actually smiled. 

Lucius walked down the stairs, the serpent cane in his hand, and was in such good mood that he didn't even notice walking past a house elf. As he approached the smaller dining room, where all meals were served when they didn't have any guests, he actually considered saying "Good morning" to her. But when Lucius entered the dining room he found it empty. 

Empty on people, of course. With the polished wooden furniture and beautiful cloth draped over the table it was just as extravagant as the larger dining room. Lucius' first thought was that Narcissa had already eaten but as he sat down he noticed that another plate besides his own had been set, which meant that she hadn't eaten yet. 

"Edgar!" Lucius shouted and reached out for a warm croissant. 

Gliding through the wall, an almost transparent ghost appeared by Lucius' side. The ghost looked incredibly gloomy, wearing a worn, dark blue suit with an equally worn tie. His face was dull and stretched as if someone had attached weights to his jaw. The ghost butler bowed to Lucius. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Has my wife gotten up yet or is she still in bed with Merlin knows who?" Lucius asked and thought that he wouldn't be surprised if it turned out be the latter. 

"Mrs Malfoy has left, sir." 

Lucius felt a hint of surprise in him. Why would Narcissa leave the manor this early? 

"Oh really? Where did she go?" 

"I don't know, sir. Mrs Malfoy disapparated from the manor last night and hasn't returned since." 

Lucius almost chocked on the croissant. What was that goddamn woman thinking? Had she been out all night and still no returned? Stupid, foolish woman. He wasn't worried about something happening to her, any person or creature would think twice before attacking Narcissa. What he worried about was what she could have done all night. No matter was it was, it was probably bad and the press would have a field day if they ever found out. 

"Let me know when she comes back," Lucius ordered Edgar. "That will be all." 

Edgar bowed again and then disappeared gliding through the wall. Lucius continued to eat his breakfast in silence, disturbed only when one of the other servants brought the morning newspaper in. Lucius put it aside to read later, the Daily Prophet only made him think about what kind of headlines it would have if they found out about Narcissa's night out. 

"Malfoy wife goes wild in the Leaky Cauldron." "Malfoy wife seen with all of Tribbiani's male models." "Lucius Malfoy loses track of his wife." 

His mind had already wandered to "Malfoy wife goes wild with male, muggle models and reveals shocking news about her husband" when Edgar suddenly glided back into the room and stopped at Lucius' side. 

"What?!" Lucius snapped, irritated at Edgar's sudden intrusion. 

"Sir, Mrs Malfoy has returned to the manor. 

Without a word Lucius quickly rose from his seat and hurried to get out of the dining room. As he entered the hallway, he saw Narcissa walking up the stairs. Her coat hung over her arm and her hair was just a little wilder, but other than that she looked no different from when Lucius last saw her. He felt a little relieved, at least it didn't look like she had been drinking all night or something like that. 

"I suppose you had fun last night?" Lucius said as he walked towards the stairs, his voice echoing slightly in hallway. Narcissa, who was on the middle of the stairs, stopped and turned around so that she could see him. 

"As a matter of fact, I did," she answered and started to walk down the stairs. "Don't tell me that you stayed up and waited for me?" 

"Muggles will fly before I do that," Lucius retorted, his voice sharp. "I just hope that you stay out of the press' eye." 

Narcissa's left brow raised slightly and she stopped where she was, two steps above him. Their eyes locked as he looked at her. Staring into Narcissa's green eyes, Lucius remember vaguely how he fifteen years ago had stared into them and been mesmerized by them. Back then, it seemed like she was the most perfect creature on earth. Now, he knew better than to be fooled by her beauty and bewitching eyes. 

She suddenly reached out her hand and brushed her fingertips against his lower jaw. Lucius flinched, it had been so long since she touched him that he had almost forgotten what it felt like. Soft, teasing and soothing in a way. 

"Don't worry, darling... No one saw me." 

Her voice sounded sweet. But beneath all those layers of fake sweetness was a hint of bitterness. Lucius pulled away from her, not wanting to deal with whatever negative emotion she was feeling. As he turned around and walked back to the dining room he heard footsteps behind him as Narcissa walked up the stairs. 

Back inside the dining room, Lucius sat down to finish his breakfast. Raising a cup of steaming black coffee to his lips, he unfolded the newspaper. Needless to say, he almost choked for the second time in the same morning when he read the headline. 

_"WOMAN IN HOGSMEADE MURDERED DURING THE NIGHT!"_

Suddenly, the good morning had turned bad. 


	2. The Aurors

**Toxic Envy   
Chapter 2: The Aurors   
by Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)**

A/N: Phew, finally managed to finish the chapter. It's a little short, but I didn't know how else to end it. 

* * *

He marched up the stairs, newspaper clutched tightly in his hand and his dark robes fluttering wildly behind him as he moved. A house elf carried a basket full of laundry on it's skinny, little arms down on its way down stairs. Lucius rushed past him and in a swirl of clothes the basket dropped and the house elf tumbled down the stairs, bouncing against each step. Normally Lucius would have stopped to lash out at the house elf for it's utter stupidity. 

_But not this time,_ Lucius thought as he reached the top of the stairs. His anger was only reserved for one person and that was the one who had caused in it the first place. 

"Narcissa!" Lucius shouted out loud as he turned to the right corridor. "Narcissa!" 

His voice was so loud that the people residing in the paintings on the wall woke up. Some jumped and were startled, while others glared at cursed Lucius as he swept past them. An overweight vampire who was in the process of biting a young witch's neck suddenly stopped and turned to Lucius. 

"Is it too much to ask to have a nice, quiet breakfast?!" the vampire bellowed and shook a fist at Lucius. 

Ignoring all the curses and shouts from the paintings, Lucius walked on without even showing the slightest hint of anything but anger. He was breathing faster and his otherwise very pale skin had reddened just a little. The newspaper in his hand would have been torn into thousands of pieces if it wasn't for the fact that he still had use for it. He had been so upset that he didn't even think about his serpent decorated cane lay abandoned and forgotten in the dining room. Finally reaching a door at the end of the corridor, he slammed his fist violently against it. 

"Narcissa!" he shouted again and pushed down the door-handle to see if it was open. When he discovered that it was locked, he banged his fist against the door again. "Open the bloody door or I'll blast the..." 

The door flung open in the middle of the sentence, revealing Narcissa standing there and leaning slightly against the door. She had changed into a gren robe and judging by the way she had tied her sash Lucius could tell that she had put the robe on in a hurry. 

"You better have a good reason for all that shouting," she said and gave him an irritated look. "You haven't been this anxious to get into my bedroom since our wedding night." 

The only answer she got was the Daily Prophet thrown into her face. She instinctively brought up her hands but failed the catch the falling newspaper as it slipped right through her hand. Lucius met her questioning gaze but kept quiet. Finally, Narcissa bent down and picked up the newspaper from the floor. He watched her closely as she unfolded it and saw the headline and pictures on the front page. While she read a short summary of the article, he read her emotions by studying the expressions on her face. 

Her eyes widened a little, a small sign of curiousity or surprise. A hardly visible contration between her eyebrows, a sign of her feeling some sort of irritation. She bit a small portion of her bottom lip, a sign of nervousness. Lucius had known her and studied her long enough to what made her tick. But even after all those years, Narcissa surprised him by putting on an indifferent look on her face. 

"Hogsmeade has become rather dangerous at night, hasn't it?" she said lightly and handed the newspaper back to Lucius. "The dementors patrol the area and my disgraced, murderous, blasted-off-the-family-tree cousin could be somewhere around that area... I must write to Draco and ask him to be extra careful on his trips to Hogsmeade." 

She turned away from him and walked further in to the room, stopping in front of the dressing-table. There, she slowly sat down at a padded stool and picked up a brush. Lucius almost dropped both jaw and newspaper when Narcissa casually started to brush her hair. Nothing else? Not even the slightest hint of guilt or even pride of her cold blooded and foolish deed? He felt the anger rise within him, almost to the point of possession. 

Stepping inside the room, he violently slammed the door shut. The loud and sudden sound caused Narcissa to jump slightly but she regained her composure quickly and went on brushing her hair as if nothing had happened. So calm, no even a hint of guilt or fear. 

_Like a true Malfoy,_ Lucius realized and felt the anger within him lessen. 

"I assume it's your mistress on the front page?" Narcissa inquired. It sounded like she was talking about the weather rather than a cold-blooded murder. 

"Yes, I was hoping that you could tell me how she got there," Lucius retorted. He could see her puzzled face through the mirror. "Oh, for Merlin's sake!" 

Anger rose up again and the little control he had over it burst. Grabbing Narcissa's arm, he forcefully yanked her up from the stool and towards him. She let out a quiet gasp, shocked at his rough treatment of her. The brush fell out of her grasp and bounced against the floor before dropping to it once again. Lucius paid no attention to it. 

"Lucius!" Narcissa whispered, trying to pull her arm out of his grip. "What are you doing?! Let me go!" 

"How could you be so stupid?! Going to Hogsmeade last night and killing her?!" 

His already tyrannical grip on her tightened. 

"What?! I didn't..." 

"The hell you didn't!" Lucius cut off. "How come there was a dead body in Hogsmeade after you had left the manor?!" 

"I didn't kill her!" 

"Then what were you doing last night?!" 

The room suddenly became enveloped in silence. Narcissa looked away, refusing to have eye contact with Lucius. Her face had become flushed and Lucius could clearly see that she was trying to figure out what to say to him. He didn't even notice that his fingers tightened around her arm once again. Narcissa winced slightly at the pain. 

"You're hurting me." 

"I know." 

She turned her gaze back to him and for a brief moment he actually thought that she looked vulnerable. But that fleeting, uncertain moment was disrupted when both Lucius and Narcissa felt a familiar chill flow through the room. 

Edgar had glided through the door and stopped right next to them. 

"Master." 

"What is it?!" Lucius snapped. He let go of Narcissa's arm and she quickly put some distance between them. Casting a glance at her arm, he saw intense red marks where his hand had been and knew that she was going to get a big bruise. 

"Master, two Aurors have arrived." 

Both Lucius and Narcissa's eyes widened and darted towards Edgar. Whatever pain or anger they had just felt was immediately forgotten about. 

"They wish to speak with the mistress. 

* * *

Somewhere else in the manor, a sudden sneeze echoed through the sitting room. 

Miranda Matthews turned around at the sudden sound, her wand drawn and firmly placed in her hand. It was of pure reflex she did that each time she was startled, but as an Auror it was a good reflex that had proved to be valuable in hazardous situations. However, she had turned around only to see her friend and colleague standing behind her and fumbling with a handkerchief. 

"Just my cold, Miranda," Prudence Russell said and her voice did a good job of confirming it. 

"You should have called in sick," Miranda answered, genuinely concerned about Prue who always became ill around that time of the year. But Prue just shook her head and brushed off Miranda's suggestion. 

"Nonsense. It's just a little cold, it will pass. Besides, can't afford to stay at home now when the ministry has everyone working on the Sirius Black case. We'll probably need every man and woman to reel that one back into Azkaban." 

By the way Prue scoffed the last sentence it wouldn't surprise Miranda if she had finished it with "...which doesn't explain why we were sent here". Truth to be told, a part of Miranda agreed with Prue. Sirius Black was on the loose and there wasn't one family, wizard or muggle, that kept their children inside out of fear of the notorious criminal. But despite that, she and Prue had been assigned to the case of the witch who was found dead in Hogsmeade. It didn't take a genius to see that it had been a murder. There was evidence of a physical confrontation before the victim had been finished off by Avada Kadavra. What was curious about the case that there was a very unlikely suspect. The prime suspect was, of course, Sirius Black but an anonymous witness had claimed to see a woman leaving the house around the time of the murder. That woman had been identified as Lucius Malfoy's wife. 

Someone had deemed the witness trustworthy enough and assigned both Miranda and Prue on the case. Both of them had sighed in disbelief when they had been told to question Narcissa Malfoy. Not only were both of them convinced that Sirius Black was the one to chase after, but they also knew that Lucius Malfoy would be less than pleased if he found out that his beloved wife was suspected of murder. 

"I know," Miranda finally answered, realizing that she had been silent for quite a while. "But orders are orders... let's just see what we get out of this one." 

Prue nodded silently and as if on queue the sound of footsteps reached their ears and they both turned to left to see the Malfoys entering the sitting room. They both entered at the same time, not a second before or after the other. Miranda only knew the Malfoys by name and rumour and had never personally met them but she found everything she had imagined about them to be right the moment she laid eyes on them. There was a touch of elegance and arrogance to both of them, a pride of knowing that they were of noble and old blood. It was a feeling that one got by simply looking at them and Miranda didn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted. 

"Mrs Matthews, Miss Russell," Lucius greeted politely as the couple approached the two Aurors. "What a surprise to see you this early." 

Miranda decided not to dwell on how Lucius already knew their names and martial status before actually meeting them. Instead, she forced a smile on her lips and took Lucius' hand when he offered it to her to shake. 

"We apologize for visiting this early, Mr Malfoy," Miranda said, speaking for Prue as well. The latter had deemed herself less good with words and resigned to being the more silent and observing one while Miranda did most of the speaking. "But I am afraid we have a few urgent questions to ask Mrs Malfoy that cannot wait." 

"Please, have a seat," Narcissa offered as a group of house elves came in, carrying a tray with tea and biscuits on their skinny, little arms. 

Narcissa gestured gracefully towards a sofa behind the two Aurors. They smiled politely in return and sat down. Lucius and Narcissa followed and sat down next to each other. The two pairs faced each other as the house elves diligently brought the tray to the low table between them and poured hot, steaming tea into four cups. When the house elves were done, they silently sneaked back into the shadows and tried to exit the room as quietly and unnoticeable as possible. 

"I assume you have read the Daily Prophet today, Mrs Malfoy?" Miranda asked casually. 

"I can't say I have," Narcissa replied as she nonchalantly poured a little milk in her tea. "Is there something in there I should know about?" 

"We discovered a witch murdered in Hogsmeade during the night," Miranda explained and briefly considered sipping her tea. "It is on the front page of today's Daily Prophet." 

"How dreadful." 

Narcissa said those two words with such indifference that it surprised Miranda. Any other woman might have sounded indifferent as well, but there was something about Narcissa's tone that revealed that there could be a hundred murders for all she cared as long as they weren't related to her in anyway. She cast one quick glance at Prue and knew that she was thinking the same. 

"Her name was Bianca Austen... did you know her?" Miranda questioned. When Narcissa shook her head Miranda continued speaking. "Twenty-six years old, a waitress as the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. No family or distant relatives that we know of. Are you sure that you haven't met or seen her?" 

Miranda was eager to find out whether they were wasting time here or if there was a truth to what the anonymous witness had said. But as soon as she had spoken she wasn't sure that the last question had been tactful. In the corner of her eyes she could see that Lucius looked somewhat irritated. But he stayed silent and waited for Narcissa to answer. 

"I assure you, Mrs Matthews," Narcissa responded with a touch of cold to her voice. "I have met a lot of people and I often pride myself on the fact that I remember their faces and names so well. If I had met this Bianca Austen, I would have remembered." 

"Mrs Malfoy, would you mind telling us where you were last night?" Prue suddenly asked after being silent for so long, almost startling Miranda. "Sometime around... around two or three this morning." 

"I was here in the manor... asleep." 

"Really?" Prue said and her eyes drifted to Lucius. "Mr Malfoy?" 

"I was asleep as well if that is what you are asking," Lucius answered, the tone of his voice revealing that he didn't like the way the conversation was going. "I hope you are not suspecting my wife for this... ill deed. I can assure you that she was with me the entire night and that there is no reason to subject her to any suspicions you might have." 

Miranda's foot gave Prue's a light kick that was not noticed by anyone but themselves. She hoped that Prue would take the hint and be quiet, while she once again forced her lips to smile towards Lucius. 

"No... of course not, Mr Malfoy." 

Half an hour later Miranda emerged from one of the many fireplaces in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. She brushed and shook the ashes off her robes while she spoke to Prue who had arrived a few seconds before her. 

"My face hurts from all that smiling," Miranda muttered. 

She thanked Merlin for not being raised or living in a high society family, such as the Malfoys, where one had to smile politely at everyone. It was a miracle that their faces didn't cramp up. When Miranda didn't receive an answer from Prue, she looked up and saw that Prue was looking back at the fireplace they had emerged from. It almost looked as if she wanted to go back. 

"What is it?" 

"I don't know... " Prue said after a few quiet seconds. "I can't put my finger on it but something seems wrong about this." 

"The Malfoys have been doing this since You-Know-Who's fall," Miranda spoke in a hushed voice. "Denying any crime or involvement with the dark... it wouldn't surprise me if they had something to do with this murder, but the odds are a little against us on this. We have an anonymous witness who for all we know could be a drunk and randomly pointed someone out. Even if it was Narcissa Malfoy who did it... we're going to have a hard time proving it with her husband running to Fudge and convincing him otherwise or that Sirius Black did it." 

Prue nodded quietly as they both started to walk towards the elevators. 

"You're right. But still... I'd like to think that there is a lot more to this than what we suspect." 


End file.
